Make ‘no discrimination’ announcement on vaccination a written policy, DepEd urged
A group of teachers on Friday, Aug. 12, asked the Department of Education (DepEd) to make its “no discrimination” on vaccination pronouncement a written policy to avoid confusion on the field once full face-to-face classes resume this school year.
The Teachers’ Dignity Coalition (TDC) commended DepEd for its statement that there will be “no discrimination” in the vaccination status of both teaching and non-teaching personnel and even the students for in-person classes.
DepEd Spokesperson Michael Poa, in a press conference on Aug. 10, said that for the in-person classes this school year, the position of DepEd is “we do not have discrimination between vaccinated and unvaxxed.”
The government vaccination program, Poa said, is “not mandatory in nature.” As a matter of national policy, getting vaccinated against Covid-19 remains “voluntary” among DepEd personnel.
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‘No discrimination’: DepEd says all personnel, learners allowed to participate in face-to-face classes
TDC noted that the latest pronouncement of the agency is a “far cry” from DepEd’s previous policy that conforms to the “no vaccine-no work policy” of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF).
While it welcomes the “no discrimination” pronouncement of the DepEd when it comes to Covid-19 vaccination for those who will participate in face-to-face classes, TDC said that agency “should put this in a written policy to avoid any confusion.”
Public schools are currently preparing for the opening of classes for SY 2022-2023 on Aug. 22.
Based on the guidelines issued by DepEd, there will be a transition period for schools from Aug. 22 to Oct. 31 before the conduct of five days of in-person classes becomes mandatory starting Nov. 2, 2022.
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